1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to vial closures, specifically to such closures which are used for vials containing medicinal pills.
2. Description of Prior Art
Pharmacies commonly dispense prescription medications in the form of pills. These pills are typically packaged in vials; that is, containers that are sealed with a closure. Two common types of closures are the simple snap-fit type, which is not resistant to opening by a child, and the “child-resistant” type, of which there are several different designs in use.
Ordinarily, prescription medication must be taken at more-or-less regular intervals. Failure to do so can result in ineffective treatment or other serious consequences, such as an overdose. Consequently, it is important for patients to not forget the number of pills they have taken.
It is well known in the art to incorporate some type of indicator into
In recent years there has been a number of patents granted for electronic timers with alarms that have been incorporated into closures. These devices all suffer from higher cost and greater complexity than simple mechanical solutions.
Mechanical devices in the prior art that incorporate indicators into closures invariably indicate time. The indicator in such devices would be set to the next time to take a pill, for example. U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,422 to Adams this type of indicator. As it turns out, the vast majority of prescriptions for pills are written for 2, 3, 4, or 6 pills per day to be taken. Thus, it is really only necessary for a person to be reminded of how many pills they have already taken that day; this is far more useful than a time indication of when to take the next pill, or when the last pill was taken, especially because most people are probably not extremely precise about the time when a pill is taken.
Moreover, the devices shown in the prior art lack the necessary simplicity and low cost to be incorporated into the inexpensive packaging that is used for common prescriptions. Or, they lack the ability to be easily adapted for both the simple snap-fit type and child-resistant type of caps.